Steerable front end suspension for trailers and wagons



L. EDWARDS June 14, 1960 STEERABLE FRONT END SUSPENSION FOR TRAILERS AND WAGONS Filed July 21, 1958 FICEZE BYC aAQQWv ilnited States Patent 0,

STEERABLE FRONT END SUSPENSION FOR TRAILERS AND 'WAGONS Luverne Edwards, deceased, late of Minneapolis, Minn,

by Mabel R. Edwards, administratrix, Minneapolis,

assignor of twenty percent to James E. Main, lVIinneapolis, Minn.

Filed July 21, 1958, Ser. No. 749,794 3 Claims. (Cl. 280-29) This invention relates generally to vehicle wheel suspensions, particularly to front wheel suspensions for pullbehind vehicles such as trailers, wagons and the like. Such vehicles, usually attached by a hitch to an automobile or tractor, are widely used for many purposes and while they offer no particular problem as to guidance and maneuverability when traveling forwardly they are difficult to back up in close quarters or accurately into any confined space such as a driveway, alongside a loading dock and so on to anyone who does not have the knack and skill required. 'This aggravating difficulty in the operation of trailer and tractive vehicle combinations is too well known to require further elaboration herein.

According to the present invention and as its primary object the front wheels of the trailing vehicle, be it wagon, trailer or whatever, are individually mounted for swingable or dirigible movements about generally upright axes with respect to the frame of the vehicle, and the journals or spindles upon which the front wheels revolve are operatively arranged for movements from positions behind the plane of such generally upright axes to positions forwardly thereof, according to the direction of travel of the vehicle. In other words, when the vehicle travels forwardly then the front wheel spindles, as they will be hereinafter called for convenience sake, will be located to the rear of the generally upright axes about-which the wheels swing but when the vehicle is backed up these spindles will move to their forward positions. Thus in either rearward or forward positions of the spindles the front wheels will tend to self-steer or caster and while this action may be of no great moment when traveling forwardly it will be of great benefit in maneuvering and properly steering the vehicle when it is backed up, actual experience proving that even in the hands of a relatively inexperience operator driving the pulling vehicle the trailing vehicle may be very easily and accurately handled and moved in any desired direction when backing up.

Another object is to provide a wheel suspension and mounting of the foregoing characteristics which is relatively simple and inexpensive, strong, readily applied to the wagon or trailer frame and which functions entirely automatically as the direction of travel of the vehicle is changed, with no tendency to merely oscillate from one position to another as travel speeds vary and thereby cause undue wear on the moving parts.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsf in which- Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of the fore corner of a trailer-type vehicle equipped with the wheel suspension of the present invention, one front wheel only being shown and illustrated in one position assumed when backing up the vehicle.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal and vertical sectional view substantially along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, the wheel itself being partially shown in full lines and in dotted lines in its forward position.

Fig. 3 is a detail and fragmentary sectional view substantially along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, the wheel itself being omitted.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing the right fore corner of the frame of a trailer type of vehicle appears in Fig. 1 and the same is seen to comprise a front axle A to which isrigidly secured a rearwardly extending center or backbone struc ture B extending to the rear wheels (not here shown). The right front wheel is designated at C and it will be understood that another similar wheel will be located at the opposite, left hand end of the axle A, but since the structures involved are duplicates except for right and left hand characteristics there is no necessity seen for disclosing both herein. Attachment to the towing vehicle, whether it be an automobile or tractor, is made from the front axle A by means of a draft tongue D attached and braced in any suitable manner to the axle for applying tractive forces to the trailer in order to move it either forwardly or rearwardly according to the direction of travel of the towing vehicle.

In accordance with this invention the ends of the axle A are provided with upper and lower apertured hinge lugs 10 and 11, as seen in Fig. 3, for the accommodation therebetween of a tubular steering knuckle 12 pivotally mounted by means of a pin 13 so that the associated wheel C may swing about a generally upright axis and thereby control the direction of travel of the trailer vehicle as will later appear. The wheel C is conventionally mounted upon a spindle 14 for rotation about the generally horizontal axis thereof and in the ordinary instance said spindle 14 would be a rigid continuation outward from the steering knuckle 12. In the present case, however, and further in accordance with the invention, the steering knuckle 12 is rigidly welded at '15 or otherwise secured to an upright wheel mounting member 16 whereas the spindle 14 is'rigidly afiixed, as designated at 17, tothe lower end of a forwardly-rearwardly swingable lever 18. The said mounting member 16 includes an inner'heavy wall 19 and the lever 18 is arranged for swinging motion across the outer face of this wall 19 with the lever pivoting about a pivot pin 20 secured to the wall 19 near the upper extremity thereof. The upper end of the lever 18 is provided with an elongated slot 21 for the reception of the pin 20 for the reason that the spindle 14 extending outward from the lower end of the lever is fitted with an anti-friction bearing or roller 22 on its lower end which bears upwardly upon a forwardly and rearwardly extending straight support bar 23 which is carried by marginal flanges 24 and 25 extending outwardly from the aforesaid wall I9. Said flanges 24-25 diverge in a downward direction and extend some distance below the support bar 23 with their lower ends joined by a lower bar 26 so that in effect a horizontal, straight and generally forwardly bearing roller 22 upon It is due to the fact that this track 27 is straight that the slot 21 is necessary in order to provide for the slight upward and downward motion of the lever 18 as the spindle '14 moves from front to rear of the track as will also presently appear, and it will be ing contact between the bearing or roller 22 and the support bar 23 will transmit the load of the vehicle to the wheel spindle 14 independently of the pivot mounting of the lever 18. It is also to be noted that since the support bar 23 is horizontally extended the spindle 14 and its associated wheel C may move from front to rear of the track 27 without tending to lift the load as represented by the trailer and its contents which would, of course, interfere with the free operation of the wheel suspension, as would also the transmission of load forces noted that the rollefiect ofthis motion,

the resistance of; the wheel CT in contact withits supporting; surface as the directionof. travel of the vehicle is changed, places the axis of rotation of the wheel either forwardly or rearwardly ofthe dirigible axis of the. wheel as just stated.

by the lines E, F. and G in Big. 2, the axis of the spindle 14 about which. the wheelC. rotates, may move; to either theaforward position. E' on the rearward 'position. .G-l with. respect to the plane of the line P which represents'the: axis :of. the pin 13 about which the: entire wheeliassembly may; swing withrespect to the frameof the trailer. The. whichis brought about-solely bymountinggasrepresented byathe lineqF so that thewheelwill have atendency to self-steer, or caster asit is com= monly. called.

Wtihout. somemeans. to. prevent it .thewheel. might very well. oscillate or hunt in forward and rearward directions with-reference to: the axis represented by the line- F, as -forexample during variations inthe speed oft ravel ofethe. vehicle, and this action would introducewholly unwanted-and unwarranted wear upon the parts. For

'lirough the lever;- 18 instead .of through the'b'earing l'z antaperturedslug zflsecured to a face plate-30,. welded. V

or-otherwise. fastened. to the aforesaidfianges 24-25.

For. this purposethe shoe 28 has at shank- 31. movable. V upwardly and downwardly through the: lug 29, 'but a coilsspring 32 .(appearingin Fig. 2) normally biases the.

shoe-.28 to. its lowermost position from which it-must be forwardmost andrearmost positions. Thus any hunting tendencies: of. the wheel between said positions or. un-- wanted movementsare completely counteracted as should:

' beapparent;

From the. foregoing it will be. apparent that a vehicle shspensionghasbeen. provided in which theaaxis ofirotationpf one orsmorewheels may movefrombehind toin:

wise and reverse. itself when. the direction of: travel is;

changed and thus' the suspension ispractical for high.

speed operations and for heavy loads .It':is understood'that suitable changes maybe made in.the.invention asherein shown and described, provided such changes .fall within the scope of the; appended claims.

What isclairned-is:

' '1. For a vehicle. havinga frame, a wheel-suspension.

comprising a-. wheelimonntingmember, .means: pivoting said. mounting rnember on a. generally upright axisito saidframe, a lever swingablebn. said.mounting1member,.

'a"wlieel spindle connected" 4 to said lever," a wheel journaled' on,said spindle for rotation about a substantially horizontal aris extending transversely with respect to the direction of travel ofthe wheel, means for transferring load forces from the mounting member to the wheel spindle independently of said lever, said last mentioned means including a bearing menrber on the spindle and a cooperating bearing surface on the'mountingmember guiding the spindle:andzw-heelafon straightline horizontal movements from aposition forwardly of the said upright axis to a posi'tion =rearwardly thereof as the" direction of travelf ofithe vehicle'isreversed, and :meansmovabl'e with respectftotheafis ofth'e wheel for yieldablyirestrain'ing the said spindle and wheel movements in both'forward and'rearwardidirectionsi. I p i n 2. For a vehicle. havingmframe, awheel suspension comprising a wheel mounting member, means pivoting said mounting member on a generally upright axis to said frame. azzleverqswingablei on. said mounting member; a wheel-spindle.-connectedto saidjlever, a wheel journaled omsaidi spindle fonrotationebout a substantially? horizontal-axis, me'ansfor transferring load forcesfrom the mounting; member. to :the wheel. spindle independently of-said lever,- said" last mentioned meansincluding a bearingj member. on. the. spindle and acooperating bearing surfaceontthe mounting member above said :bea-ringmemberiforguiding the. spindle and wheel in strm'ghtline horizontal. movements fromra position forwardly. of the said upright axistoaposition rearwardly thereof as the:direction. oftravelof the vehicle isreversed, meansfor. yieldablyrestrainingthe-said spindle. and wheel movements in both-forwardz-andarearward directions, said .last mentioned means. including an annular member rotating with the V .WheeLand a-downwardlyispring biased shoe carriedby liftedceach time; the annular wallof. the brake drum H V passesin the movement of thewheel spindle from its V front.(orvice versa) of the. plane of the iaxisabont which:

the; mounting member-and lying'in the path oftheupper part of. said annular member whereby: the same must engage, lift and-roll past said, shoe as the wheel and spindle moveIforwardly-and rearwardly to said positions.

. 3: Fonavehielehaving a frame, a wheel suspension: comprising-a wheel mounting member, means pivoting saidmounting: membenon a generally; upright axis to said franie, la leveniswingable on saidmounting member, a: wheel: spindleoperatively associated with said-lever and-f means-including zi -cooperating bearing member and bear ing surface on. the spindleand mounting for guiding the spindlein straightlinemorizontal movements from ap s tion forwardly of thetsaidg upright axis to a'position rear- 'wardly thereofas the direction of travel'of the vehicle is reversed, a. wheel- -journaled. onuthe spindle; means for 50" yieldablyrestraining the. said. spindleand wh'eelmove-v mentsjn-both-forward: and rearward directions, said. last mentioned means-including ;an annular memberrotating: With-11216? wheel, and a. spring: biased shoe carried by the:

mounting member. and lying in. the-path of a a: partofsaid.

annular. member whereby the same must engage, move androllpastsaidshoe asihewheeLand spindle move forwardlyandrearwardly to said positions.

I Keferences Cited in. thefile ofthis patent. UNITED" STATES PATENTS 13 13958 V Austin June 15, 1920' 1,8'3'953'96 Kimballl Jan. 5, r932 ORBIGN- PA ENTS] 7 

